House of Commons = Jedi Council? Wednesday, June 29, 2005 | | |

Mr. Jamie Reed delivered his maiden speech in the House of Commons by introducing himself as it's first Jedi Member.

I crave the indulgence of the House in interrupting such an important and enjoyable debate to deliver my maiden speech. Furthermore, as the first Jedi Member of this place, I look forward to the protection under the law that will be provided to me by the Bill.

House of Commons Hansard Debates for 21 Jun 2005 (pt 23)

Strange News

Star Wars

Darth Cruise Wednesday, June 29, 2005 | | |

Tom Cruise, we all knew he was evil... now he's joined the Dark Side and takes it out on Oprah!

Waxy.org: Video: Tom Cruise Kills Oprah

Celebrities

Tom Cruise

Best Play ESPY: Vote Matt Brown Tuesday, June 28, 2005 | |

The 2005 ESPY Awards - Cast your ESPY vote: Best Play

With one out in the top of the second against Oklahoma, the freshman right fielder tracked a routine fly ball toward the fence in foul territory. Without taking his eye off the ball, he jumped up -- and over -- the shoulder-high barrier, made the catch and held on for the out.

ESPY Awards ESPN

Edit: Matt's play did not win the award. Congratulations to Blake Hoffarber and his amazing on the back three pointer.

Dry Times Tuesday, June 28, 2005 | |

Southeast Texas is known for being hot, humid and wet. In a typical year, the Houston area sees 50.83 inches of rain. That's 14 inches more than Seattle gets on average per year. So far this year Houston has gotten 20.98 inches of rain, just 2.7 inches below normal. However, the month of June has seen only .08 inches of rain, nearly 5 inches below normal for the month.

The drought has gotten bad enough that burn bans have been implemented in 54 counties, and a fireworks ban has been implemented in one - Montgomery County. Other counties who should have probably banned fireworks had a deadline of June 14 to do so, and are now asking fireworks vendors to help out voluntarily. The deadline is in place to give the fireworks vendors ample time to order the right types of fireworks and the ban only covers fireworks categorized as arial fireworks (i.e. Bottle Rockets).

Living in the only county to implement the fireworks ban, I am relieved. However, I still expect to see some bottle rockets in my back yard from all my neighbors. There is simply not enough people in place to enforce such a ban all over the county and not enough common sense to keep people from shooting them off.

I've never been a big fan of allowing arial type fireworks from being shot off in residential neighborhoods anyway. With the closeness of houses, I just feel that the risk for fire is too great. Not to mention that people feel the need to shoot fireworks off far too long as it is. I would like to see subdivisions like the one I live in set up a designated fireworks zone and curfew. I know it's just wishful thinking, but that's my dream.

As the drought continues, I just hope that word about the bans gets out to as many people as possible and that people use some common sense during these times.

Current Events

Weather

Guilty: Rader is BTK Monday, June 27, 2005 | | |

Dennis Rader entered a plea of guilty today, ending just over 3 decades worth of fear in Wichita. As a long time resident of Wichita, it brings a great sense of relief that this ordeal has come to a close. In all honesty, there was a period of about 2 decades where there was a calm over the case in Wichita. People would talk about it and wonder about it, but there was not the underlying fear that was so prevelent in the mid to late 70's that I remember keeping us awake at night.

Perhaps it was only the calm before the storm though, as BTK let everyone know that while he may have not been communicating, he was still practicing what he did best... murder! His reemergence eventually led to his arrest and conviction, which makes one wonder, why bring attention to yourself when what you were doing was working and you continued to go unnoticed. One can only speculate that he did it for the attention. Did he not want his life to end without people knowing who was behind the curtain?

And now, we sit and wait for piece by piece to be leaked to the media, or perhaps for the information to be bought for a movie or book. For me, I consider this book closed.

Wichita Eagle | 06/27/2005 | 'Guilty'

Current Events

Students offered online PE courses Saturday, June 25, 2005 | | |

At first, the idea doesn't sound so good...

Jan Braaten, the district's lead teacher for physical education and health, said her staff was leery of the idea at first. "It's kind of an oxymoron to have online PE," she said.

However, read about it a little more and you find out that the teachers and students meet face-to-face at the beginning and end of the session where they test physical components.

Those sessions include testing components of fitness such as strength, flexibility and endurance. Students also are provided with a heart monitor and record its readings and how hard they perceive they're working, along with other workout notes, in an activity journal. They e-mail their work for each weekly unit to teachers.

Just goes to show that not all ideas are as bad as they sound.

CNN.com - Students offered online PE courses - Jun 22, 2005

Oh Wise and Powerful Cruise Friday, June 24, 2005 | | |

I didn't realize that Tom Cruise had enough time amongst his filming, movie promoting and cradle robbing to become so well versed on psychiatry. Hey Tommy, why don't you do the world a favor and leave the psychiatry to people who have studied in it (and believe in it) and stick to your Scientology. If people want to take an anti-depressent, then they should be able to do so without you sticking your nose in their business. Afterall, we don't tell you to stop being a Scientologist.

Tom Cruise - Master Psychiatrist

Celebrities

Tom Cruise

Dads And Postpartum Depression Friday, June 24, 2005 | | |

USNews.com: Health: In Brief... Sad dads (6/24/05)

According to a recent survey by British researchers, dads can suffer from postpartum depression and there is a direct influence on the baby's development. I can hear my wife now: "until you can shove a baby out your..."

Parenting

Innovations: Smart Goggles Friday, June 24, 2005 | | |

  

CNN.com - Smart goggles easy on the eyes - Jun 23, 2005

I have always loved inventions - even the crappy ones - because they are typically original and are formed from creative thinking. This invention is right up my alley, as I was a swimmer all through high school and have always had a fondness for competitive swimming.

What's so special about a pair of goggles you ask? Well, these have a compass attached to the strap that sits on the back of the head and works in conjuction with a display in the goggle that lets the swimmer know how many laps they've completed and how long they've been swimming. Perfect for training exercises.

I remember when we were practicing, our coach (who just happened to be my dad) would instruct us to swim for 5 minutes, or whatever length of time he wanted to pick. We would never know how long we'd been swimming for, unless we stopped and took a look at the pace clock. Well, obviously, stopping was not something he wanted us to do. He would also help us out by blowing a whistle at the end of the time period, but in my mind, it's not the same as what can be accomplished by these goggles. With these - which are still just a prototype - the swimmer will be able to challenge themselves in subsequent excercises.

Inventions

Astros Sweep Rockies Wednesday, June 22, 2005 | |

(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Well, a good victory for the home team today, although their defense was sloppy. Ensberg fires a throw over Berkman's head. Berkman falls asleep and can't handle an underhand lob from Biggio. Taveras overruns a flyball.

Thank goodness there was Biggio to take one, errr, two for the team. That's right, Biggio got plunked twice today and is just one plunking behind Baylor now. That's three times in two days for the long time Astro!

Anyway, Astros win 6-2.

Baseball

Go Astros Wednesday, June 22, 2005 | |

I am going to my first Astros game of the year today, my first time in Minute Maid park since the All Star game last year. Ironically, the starting pitcher today is the same as the All Star game - Roger Clemens. Let's hope he gets off to a better start today.

Speaking of the All Star game though, the atmosphere at that game was absolutely incredible. I had never been to an event of that caliber before and it certainly lived up to the hype. I had SRO tickets and was furtunate enough to snag a seat at the bar just beyond centerfield. We got to watch the ESPN crew do their show and then take in the game.

I'll be in the bullpen seats today, watching Mr. K warm up prior to the game.

Baseball

In Memoriam - Ruthe Theresa Bradt Monday, June 20, 2005 | | |

Ruthe Theresa Bradt

A dear friend of ours has joined her husband in eternal peace. Ruthe Bradt passed away late Friday, June 17, just hours before her 98th birthday. As my sister-in-law so endearingly stated, she was able to spend her birthday in heaven. You will be missed Ruthe!

The Island of Texas Friday, June 17, 2005 | |

During the great blackout of the Northeast U.S. in 2003 I remember reading in the news that Texas claimed they wouldn't see a blackout of those likes in their state. The potential for that blackout was there this week when large transmission lines were tripped off due to high winds or lightning.

As a result, customers in 8 counties - totalling 100,000 - were left in the dark Wednesday night. While we live in one of the affected counties, and our electricity is provided by the company that serves the affected region, we were fortunate enough to not lose our power. We did notice the beginnings of it on the way home from swim lessons though when traffic lights started failing.

However, since Texas is on it's own grid, the power losses were isolated to Texas. More specifically, they were isolated to just one region within the grid and crews were effecient enough to get power restored to all but a few thousand customers within 6 hours of the event that caused the blackout.

Current Events

Swim Lessons Thursday, June 16, 2005 | |

Today was our last day of our son's first swim lessons. The lessons lasted for two weeks and were thirty minutes long. Just long enough as they involved a lot of lifting on my part and gave me a decent workout.

The class is designed for kids from 6 to 36 months old and is offered by one of the YMCA's in our area. I must say, I thought our son would enjoy it, but nothing made me think he would love it as much as he did.

We started off each day in a circle and sang kids songs, but with a twist towards swimming, encouraging our kids to make splashes with their hands, kick with their feet and blow bubbles. During some of the songs we would raise our kids up and then drop them back down to the water. That was the part that he enjoyed the most during the songs.

We also worked on teaching them to pull themselves out of the pool - which we are still continuing to work and and will do so for quite some time - using a noodle to kick their feet and laying on their back. The laying on the back thing was neat, because we would rest their head on our shoulder, which really soothed our son and enabled him to lay flat on his back.

Perhaps the most intense moment was when we had to put their face in the water. I had to lay him on his belly and place my hand behind his head. On the count of three, I would push his face in to the water and let go. The first time, he didn't like it, but as we worked on it more, and he was prepared for it, he became more comfortable with it.

The face in the water eventually led to pushing him through the water, at first with his face up, then with his face down and finally fully submerged. I thought he would come up screaming, but I was wrong. He was a little surprised, but he really enjoyed it and was excited about the fact that he did it.

Now, it's time to continue practicing what we learned these past two weeks for the rest of the summer.

Schiavo's Parents Not Swayed Thursday, June 16, 2005 | | |

Schiavo's Parents Not Swayed by Autopsy - Yahoo! News

I have long avoided this topic like the plague, but now find that I can keep my opinions silent no longer. In a shocking turn of events (tongue in cheek) the parents of Terri Schiavo are disputing the results of medical experts who performed the autopsy. Unfortunately, these doctors spent years in training for nothing... because according to the untrained, they're wrong about the results of their autopsy.

With my deepest sympathies, I do feel for the family of Terri Schiavo. However, I must believe that full fledged denial has set in long ago and has yet to relinquish it's hold to acceptance. In my uneducated experience, the family needs to find someone to help them with their healing instead of continually hanging on to a small thread of hope that will one day break.

Society

Identity thief targets DA Thursday, June 16, 2005 | | |

HoustonChronicle.com - Identity thief headed to prison after targeting DA

How sad is it that it takes a personal attack against a law enforcement officer, like DA Chuck Rosenthal, for authorities to really do anything against Identity Theft. When my identity was stolen, I couldn't get anyone with the local authorities to even return my phone call. It's too bad us commoners don't get the same kind of attention.

Crime

New Goal Wednesday, June 15, 2005 | | |

Bronx Is Up as Yankees Unveil Stadium Plan - New York Times

I now have a new goal... attend a baseball game in the original Yankee stadium before the new Yankee stadium is opened in 2009. While, I'm certain the new stadium will be nothing short of fantastic, I feel that I need to be able to say that I saw a game in THE Yankee stadium.

Baseball

Highest Drafted Hall of Famers Friday, June 10, 2005 | |

Would you believe that no baseball player drafted first in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft has been inducted in to the Hall of Fame? Well, so far it's true. Since the draft began in 1965, the highest player drafted to make it to the Hall of Fame is none other than Mr. October - the second overall pick in the 1966 draft by the Oakland Athletics. The first player to be drafted and also be inducted into the Hall of Fame is Johnny Bench who was selected with the 36th pick (2nd round) in the 1965 draft.

Since the first draft in 1965, there have been 6 first round selections and 3 second round selections inducted in to the Hall of Fame.

• Reggie Jackson - 2 (1st Round)
• Robin Yount - 3 (1st Round)
• Kirby Puckett - 3 (1st Round)
• Paul Molitor - 3 (1st Round)
• Carlton Fisk - 4 (1st Round)
• Dave Winfield - 4 (1st Round)
• George Brett - 29 (2nd Round)
• Mike Schmidt - 30 (2nd Round)
• Johnny Bench - 36 (2nd Round)

The girl that sits across from me said she had never heard of George Brett before... geesh... and she calls herself a baseball fan? So, I felt inclined to tell her everything I know about the King!

Baseball

Joe Scruggs Friday, June 10, 2005 | | |

We took our son to a concert put on by Joe Scruggs last night. If you've never heard of Joe (I hadn't until this week) he's an entertainer/puppeteer whose target audience is kids. His concerts involve the use of songs and puppets that encourage audience interaction. All in all, it was a fun time and the kids loved it.

If you want to read all what it's all about, go to About Joe Scruggs. He's also got a musical theater performance called Not Afraid of the Dark that we'll have to check out some time. It's performed with the lights off and is a glow in the dark performance.

1969 MLB Draft Revisited Wednesday, June 08, 2005 | | |

1. Senators - Jeff Burroughs - OF
The first pick of the 1969 draft made his Major League debut on July 20, 1970. Burroughs played 16 seasons in the majors for Senators, Rangers, Braves, Mariners, Athletics and Bluejays. For his career he hit for an average of .261 with 240 HR and 882 RBI.

2. Astros - J.R. Richard -RHP
The second pick of the 1969 draft made his Major League debut on September 5, 1971. Richards played 10 seasons in the majors, all for the Houston Astros. While well on his way to establishing himself as the most dominant pitcher in Astros history, he suffered a massive stroke shortly after the 1980 All-Star game and cut his career short. For his career he had a 3.15 ERA with 1,493 strike outs, 770 walks and a won loss record of 107-70.

3. White Sox - Ted Nicholson - 3B
The third pick of the 1969 draft never made it to the Major Leagues.

4. Mets - Randy Sterling - RHP
The fourth pick of the 1969 draft never made it to the Major Leagues

5. Angels - Alan Bannister - SS
The fifth pick of the 1969 draft made his Major League debut on July 13, 1974 with the Philadelphia Phillies. Bannister played 12 seasons in the majors for the Phillies, White Sox, Indians, Astros and Rangers. For his career he hit for an average of .270 with 143 doubles and 430 runs scored.

6. Phillies - Mike Anderson - 1B
The sixth pick of the 1969 draft made his Major League debut on September 2, 1971. Anderson played 9 seasons in the majors for the Phillies, Cardinals and Orioles. For his career he hit for an average of .246. Of interesting note he pitched the final inning of a 4-11 loss versus the Cubs on June 27, 1979, - his last season - facing 5 batters, striking out 2, giving up 2 hits and allowing no runs.

7. Twins - Paul Powell - OF
The seventh pick of the 1969 draft made his Major League debut on April 7, 1971. Powell played during three seasons in the majors for the Twins and Dodgers, but only played in 30 games during those seasons. He managed to get 42 at bats, with 15 strike outs and a batting average of .167.

8. Dodgers - Terry McDermott - C
The eighth pick of the 1969 draft made his Major League debut on September 12, 1972, his only season in the majors. McDermott played in 9 games that season, accumulating 23 at bats with 8 strike outs. His career batting average was .130.

9. Athletics - Don Stanhouse - RHP/SS
The ninth pick of the 1969 draft made his Major League debut on April 19, 1972 with the Texas Rangers. Stanhouse played 10 seasons in the majors for the Rangers, Expos, Orioles and Dodgers. He had a career ERA of 3.84 with 408 strike outs, 455 walks and a won loss record of 38-54.

10. Pirates - Bob May - RHP
The tenth pick of the 1969 draft never made it to the Major Leagues.

Baseball